Page 2 of Captivated (Salvation #3)

Chapter Two

Robert Thorston handed over the glass of whiskey. “Good to have you back.” He retook his seat in his Adirondack chair, the ranch spread out below them, its white barns trimmed with green standing out against the lush meadows. Once upon a time, there had only been three such barns, but not anymore.

Salvation had grown.

Derek Caldwell chuckled. “I know. It must have been, ooh, a month since I was here last. And that includes sitting on your porch, drinking your whiskey, and enjoying the view.”

“Good to know we can give you what you need.” Robert had liked Derek Caldwell from the get-go.

They were a similar age, and shared more than a few common interests.

When Derek had arrived for his first stay at Deliverance back in May of 2023, Robert had given him the tour of the Leather Barn, the stables, the whole damn ranch.

Toby had joked and said even he’d heard the click.

Then Derek came back the following month, and the one after that, and… He’d gotten to be such a regular fixture that he was on friendly terms with all the hands. They’d laugh and joke together after supper, and on more than one occasion, two or three of them had come riding with Derek and Robert.

Derek was family.

It felt good to have a friend he could talk with about everything.

They’d skirted around their histories, and that was just fine by Robert.

Derek shared little about his personal life, apart from the fact he had a twenty-six-year-old son, Nate.

Most of the time they talked about politics, current affairs, you name it.

A regular activity was watching OnGuardSalon , a YouTube site where four old Leather Men—their description—smoked cigars and discussed queer history and the issues affecting the BDSM community.

Robert could listen to those guys for hours, and the fact Derek was happy to sit with him?

Pretty freakin’ perfect.

Except for right now when Robert was certain something was troubling his friend. That wrinkled brow and tapping foot were a dead giveaway.

“How come you haven’t looked for a BDSM club nearer to you? Unless there aren’t any.”

Derek rolled the glass between his palms. “I wouldn’t go to it even if there was one, and that isn’t likely, considering where I live.

No, I like to keep this part of my life separate from Nate.

” He gazed down at the ranch. Paul was in the paddock grooming Sorrel, a big ole sweetheart of a horse. “He’s very good with them, isn’t he?”

Robert smiled. “Never met a horse yet that Paul couldn’t bring around to his way of thinking.

Mind you, Zeeb’s almost as good.” He studied Derek, noting the lines he felt sure hadn’t been evident his last visit.

“We’re friends, aren’t we? I mean, I’m not just the guy who runs this place.

” He chuckled. “Except I don’t. Mostly it’s Teague, and Toby takes care of Deliverance. ”

Derek frowned. “Of course we’re friends.”

Robert drank a little whiskey, appreciating its warming effect. “Okay then. What’s on your mind? You usually come here to forget about real life for a while. This time I’ve got the feeling you dragged it with you and you can’t unhitch it.”

Derek said nothing, but returned his attention to Paul in the paddock. Robert waited. He’d opened the door a crack. It was up to Derek to decide if he was going to step inside.

Derek’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t talk about Nate. You might have noticed that.”

“Yeah, I did, but I didn’t pay it much attention. It’s not as if the two of us are ever stuck for topics of conversation.”

That brought a smile. “I know, right? But the reason I don’t share stuff about Nate is because…well… it’s complicated.”

Robert smiled. “Doesn’t that just sum up life these days?” He took another drink.

Derek pointed to Paul. “Watching him work with the horses… It reminded me of something Nate’s therapist said recently.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to comment on someone of Nate’s age needing therapy, but then he clammed up. What do I know about his situation? And who says you have to be a certain age to need therapy?

Derek stared into his glass. “He brought up the subject of equine therapy. Thought it might be good for Nate. So I did some research. It talks about how interacting with horses can help people who’ve experienced trauma, allowing them to rebuild trust, to connect with another being in a non-threatening way. ”

One word lodged itself in Robert’s mind.

“‘Trauma’?”

Derek gave a half smile. “I said it was complicated, right?” He gazed at the landscape before them, the rolling hills, the far- off mountains. “Nate would love this,” he murmured. “He’s an artist. There’s so much here to inspire him.”

When Robert got an idea, he liked to run with it.

“Sounds as if he could use some time here.”

Derek frowned. “I don’t think that would work.

To give you an idea why, Nate’s got this tee with the words Today I Don’t Want To People across the front.

It isn’t meant to be funny. He… he finds it hard to trust people.

And living in the bunkhouse, mixing with the hands?

” Derek shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not going to happen.”

“Then we’d make other arrangements.” Robert smiled. “What if he had a place all to himself, somewhere quiet, away from the bunkhouse?”

He blinked. “There’s a place like that at Salvation?”

“Remember that cabin I showed you when we went out riding one morning? A little place by a creek?”

Derek smiled. “Ah. The one your hands use if they want to bring an overnight guest to the ranch.”

“That’s the one. Well, what if Nate stayed there?”

He bit his lip. “I don’t think they’d be happy about giving it up.”

Robert laughed. “We’d be talking a week, two at the most. I think they can cope with that. And if they’re that desperate, there’s always the hotel off Highway 191.” He cleared his throat. “So I’m reliably informed.”

Derek’s frown was back. “But he can’t ride horses all day.”

“No one says he’d have to. He could help Paul groom them, if he felt like it. But he could also bring his artist stuff with him.” Robert flung his arm out. “He’d have all this to paint and draw.” He peered at Derek. “Art therapy is a thing too, isn’t it?”

Lord, he could almost see the idea taking root in Derek’s mind. His slow smile, the light in his eyes…

I just gave him something he needed.

Hope.

Derek expelled a breath. “You know what? I’ll talk to him when I get back. But I meant what I said about him finding it difficult to be around too many people.”

Robert stroked his chin. “How about one person? Could he manage that?” He had enough guys working on the ranch to be able to assign one of them to be Nate’s go-to person.

It wouldn’t be Teague, Matt, or Butch—they already had enough on their plates—but that left a handful of others.

Providing they were up for it, of course.

This would be a strictly volunteer assignment.

Derek’s face glowed. “That sounds amazing.”

Robert smiled. “Then drink your whiskey. Thinking about it is simply a waste of energy. You won’t accomplish anything by it.

When you can talk to him, then something might come of it.

Don’t force his hand, though. This has to be Nate’s decision.

And I won’t speak to any of the hands about it until I hear from you.

” He grinned. “Let them enjoy the cabin while they can.”

Volunteer operation or not, he did have an idea which hand would be perfect for it.

But let’s wait and see.

“So what do you have planned for this week?”

Derek’s eyes sparkled. “Nothing. I prefer to see who turns up, and then go with the flow. I’d be up for a wax scene, if there was any interest, and you know how much I love a good sling session.” He cocked his head. “Still haven’t seen you in the Leather Barn yet.”

Robert smiled. “That’s because all my scenes happen up here.”

With one beautiful Dom.

Robert took one last look at the ranch before bed. The moonlight gave the barns a ghostly appearance, and all seemed peaceful down there.

He wished his mind was as peaceful.

The irony of the situation hadn’t escaped him. So much for telling Derek not to dwell on whether Nate would welcome a stay at Salvation, not to waste energy. Here he was, his mind racing.

What did he mean by trauma?

Just how damaged is Nate?

Might Sol’s counseling skills be needed too?

Too many thoughts whirling around, too many variables.

Robert knew he was a worrier, and to be honest, he’d gotten so much better at letting go.

Ever since Toby had become a part of his life.

He went indoors, turned off the lamps and headed for the stairs. Toby emerged from the kitchen and joined him.

“Did you have a good evening with Derek?”

Robert nodded. “Something I want to discuss with you. It might not come off, but I want you to be aware of it. Nothing that can’t wait until morning.”

Toby’s hand was on his nape, stroking it, and Robert relaxed under his touch. Toby glanced at him. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. I guarantee I’ll be feeling a whole lot better in about ten minutes.”

He chuckled. “Which is the time it will take for us to grab a shower, then find the lube.” They stopped at their bedroom door, and Toby regarded him with a thoughtful gaze. “You’re thinking too much again.”

Robert’s chuckle echoed his. “You always say that.”

“That’s because it’s always true.”

The weight of Toby’s hand on his nape grounded him, and in that moment Robert knew what he needed.

To let Toby take the lead.

To stop holding onto everything so tightly.

The air in their bedroom was warm and familiar, a blend of their scents that comforted him. He flipped the shower on and stood under its jets, hoping the hot water would remove some of the tension in him.

Toby was a master at spotting that.

The shower door opened, and Toby stepped into the steamy enclosure. “Something told me you might need your back scrubbed.”

He smiled. “Your instincts are on the money, as usual.” He placed his hands flat on the tiles, reveling in Toby’s firm strokes, the smell of the body wash, the anticipation rocketing through him when the edge of Toby’s hand strayed into his crease.

He pushed back, and Toby’s chuckle set up a delicious vibration.

“Now I know what you want.”

Robert moaned as Toby penetrated him with his thumb, slick with the silicone lube they kept in the shower for just such an occasion.

He writhed when Toby gave his prostate a drawn-out massage, leaving him aching for more.

All too soon the flow of water stopped, and then Toby dried him with brisk strokes.

He led Robert by the hand to stand in front of the mirror, Toby’s hands sliding over his shoulders, down his arms, a slow, steady motion. He nuzzled Robert’s neck, sending a shiver through him.

“Let go.” Toby’s voice was soft, but his words were a low command, not demanding, not rough?—

Sure, the way he always was.

Robert’s breathing hitched. With Toby, letting go was easy.

Toby turned Robert in his arms and cupped his jaw, his thumb tracing the edge of Robert’s mouth.

“What do you need?”

Robert drew in a deep breath. “Just you, inside me.”

Toby’s eyes darkened, his pupils enlarged, and Robert knew he wasn’t the only one who needed.

The kiss that followed wasn’t hurried, not a taking but a claiming, and Robert let him, sinking into the certainty of Toby’s touch.

It brought more than comfort, more than the promise of physical reconnection.

It was the way Toby knew how to take control, the way he took the weight of everything Robert carried and made it melt into nothingness, until all that was left was the feel of Toby’s firm flesh against his, Toby’s mouth on him, his fingers exploring, teasing, stimulating…

Toby’s cock driving deep, robbing him of breath, filling him, stretching him, pushing him closer to oblivion.

To the moment when he felt that throb inside him, heard Toby’s groan of pleasure, and soared high when Toby pressed his lips to Robert’s ear.

“Love you.”

Robert loved the way Toby always held him close after making love, his body warm and solid beneath the sheets. Robert laid his head against Toby’s chest, his heartbeat steady in his ear.

A soothing, comforting sound that took the remnants of the day from Robert’s grasp and tossed them aside.

Toby kissed his shaved head. “Sleep.”

He closed his eyes and gave himself up to velvet-soft invisible hands that pulled him, tugging him deeper into slumber.

His last thought sent warmth flooding through him.

The last two years hadn’t removed the grief from his past, but they’d eased his pain and given him closure. They’d helped him to realize Toby was exactly what he needed, someone who grounded him, took control, and loved him in a way no one else ever had.

Or ever will.